-- Posted by AcidSilence at 9:28 pm on Oct. 28, 2008 Self-injury (SI), also called self-harm or self-mutilation, is defined as any intentional injury to one's own body. Usually, self-injury leaves marks or causes tissue damage. Self-injury can involve any of the following behaviors: Cutting Burning (or "branding" with hot objects) Picking at skin or re-opening wounds Hair-pulling ( trichotillomania) Head-banging Hitting (with hammer or other object) Bone-breaking Most who engage in self-injury act alone rather than in groups. They also attempt to hide their behavior. Who Is More Likely to Engage in Self-Injury? Self-injury can occur in either sex and in any race of people. The behavior is not limited by education, age, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status or religion. However, there are some common factors among people who engage in self-injury. Self-injury occurs more often among: Adolescent females People who have a history of physical, emotional or sexual abuse People who have co-existing problems of substance abuse, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or eating disorders Individuals who were often raised in families that discouraged expression of anger Individuals who lack skills to express their emotions and lack a good social support network What Causes People to Injure Themselves? Self-injury usually occurs when people face what seem like overwhelming or distressing feelings. Self-injurers may feel that self-injury is a way of: Temporarily relieving intense feelings, pressure or anxiety Being real, being alive, or feeling something Being able to feel pain on the outside instead of the inside Being a means to control and manage pain - unlike the pain experienced through physical or sexual abuse Providing a way to break emotional numbness (the self-anesthesia that allows someone to cut without feeling pain) Asking for help in an indirect way or drawing attention to the need for help Attempting to affect others by manipulating them, trying to make them care, trying to make them feel guilty, or trying to make them go away Self-injury also may be a reflection of a person's self-hatred. Some self-injurers are punishing themselves for having strong feelings that they were usually not allowed to express as children. They also may be punishing themselves for somehow being bad and undeserving. These feelings are an outgrowth of abuse and a belief that the abuse was deserved. Even though there is the possibility that a self-inflicted injury may result in life-threatening damage, self-injury is not considered to be suicidal behavior. What Are the Symptoms of Self-Injury? The symptoms of self-injury include: Frequent cuts and burns that cannot be explained Self-punching or scratching Needle sticking Head banging Eye pressing Finger or arm biting Pulling out one's hair Picking at one's skin Warning signs Signs that an individual may be engaging in self-injury include: Wearing of pants and long sleeves in warm weather The appearance of lighters, razors or sharp objects that one would not expect among a person's belongings Low self-esteem Difficulty handling feelings Relationship problems Poor functioning at work, school or home I was looking up self mutilation for some reason and thats some of the stuff I found. Its kind of shocking because in the first section that shows forms of self mutilation, I've done/do 6 out of 7 of those things. Crazy! -- Posted by Firebolt7 at 9:29 pm on Oct. 28, 2008 i self circumcised myself -- Posted by oridniv at 9:29 pm on Oct. 28, 2008 I used to brand and cut but i stopped being depressed cus i moved out -- Posted by Chocolate Thunda at 9:30 pm on Oct. 28, 2008 I used to cut. Then I started clipping skin off, attempting to burn myself and I still pick at my shoulders. But it's not near as bad as it used to be. The worst I do to myself is pinch or bite myself when I'm angry. Like, my knees. I'll scrunch into a ball and bite one. -- Posted by acausedelle at 9:30 pm on Oct. 28, 2008 I used to. -- Posted by Anonymous at 9:38 pm on Oct. 28, 2008 yes i cut and have been since grade 7 -- Posted by Anonymous at 9:39 pm on Oct. 28, 2008 I do. I do it to punish myself. Sounds crazy to some people but to me its kinda become normal. Sometimes I just want people to find my scars so they can find me help because Im to afraid to do it myself. Im depressed almost all the time but I hide it. I just want someone to help me, I want someone to care. Does anyone agree with me... -- Posted by silverbullets at 9:54 pm on Oct. 28, 2008 Quote: from Anonymous at 12:39 am on Oct. 29, 2008 I do. I do it to punish myself. Sounds crazy to some people but to me its kinda become normal. Sometimes I just want people to find my scars so they can find me help because Im to afraid to do it myself.   Im depressed almost all the time but I hide it. I just want someone to help me, I want someone to care. Does anyone agree with me... i agree. like.. i don't want anyone to know. but sometimes you just want to pull up your sleeves and show the world how much you hurt inside. the way i feel about sopping tho. is that i have been cutting for so long, that i cant imagine living without cutting. so that is why i cant stop, even tho in my mind, i want to stop... sorta confusing... -- Posted by LostInTheClouds at 7:03 am on Oct. 29, 2008 I've been taking part in self mutilation since I was 13...so that would make it about 6 years now. It isn't to the extent that it once was... but I really can't imagine myself bringing it to a complete stop anytime soon. -- Posted by stardust92 at 4:47 pm on Oct. 29, 2008 I do, yeah... usually just cutting. -- Posted by googlefish at 2:50 pm on Oct. 30, 2008 Quote: from Anonymous at 9:39 pm on Oct. 28, 2008 I do. I do it to punish myself. Sounds crazy to some people but to me its kinda become normal. Sometimes I just want people to find my scars so they can find me help because Im to afraid to do it myself.   Im depressed almost all the time but I hide it. I just want someone to help me, I want someone to care. Does anyone agree with me... i totally agree -- Posted by mizzchez at 9:16 am on Oct. 31, 2008 Yeah, I used to self-harm too... I still get the urges, but I don't do it as much. Cheryl x -- Posted by major at 9:47 am on Oct. 31, 2008 when i was a little kid i would bang my head against the wall until i got what i wanted. -- Posted by dramaqueenxoxo at 12:54 pm on Oct. 31, 2008 I do.... I use alot of the methods listed -- Posted by iamgood at 1:55 pm on Oct. 31, 2008 i bite my nails and toe nails so far down i dont think they wil ever grow back and my toes are ingrown